14/04/2008
Lupe Fiasco
KOKO
April 2nd April 2008
Lupe Fiasco has been called everything from a lyricist to a terrorist. The one word you wouldn't associate with him is energetic. But you wouldn't think that on the evidence of this gig, as he leaps around the stage, his energy so infectious that the audience forgets he was an hour late.
Lupe’s energy spills over into every song and none more so than ‘American Terrorist’. Allusions to George W. Bush drew the loudest cheers of the night, which in turn drew one of his best performances.
Every word was said with so much passion you wouldn't believe Lupe was accused of being lethargic a couple of years ago. He makes full use of the stage, dancing like James Brown impersonating a pastor; adopting The Godfather of Soul’s routine of using the mic stand as a dancing prop, before leaping onto some speakers during a band instrumental.
Lupe's six-piece band is extremely strong, making each song fuller rather than making them sound like demo versions. They even go into a neo-soul breakdown at the end of ‘Sunshine’ that wouldn't be out of place on an Erykah Badu album. There were some faults with the band approach, ‘Dumb It Down’ was spoiled by a wailing guitar, but these were minor in a gig that could easily turn a sceptic to a fan.
From the double time rapping of ‘The Cool’ to the acoustic version of ‘Superstar’, it's clear that Lupe has grown since the ‘Food & Liquor’ days and is now a fully fledged performer. And all the better for it. Words: Jason Dike / Photography: Uzo Oleh
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